Anyone can be a Hero, but there’s only one Petaluma Batman

Since James Holmes, the alleged “Dark Knight Rises” shooter, was inspired in part by the Batman franchise, telling federal authorities that he called himself “The Joker,” this story is particularly important. Just like in “Unbreakable” where Mr. Glass suffers from brittle bones and so assumes the opposite mutation must also exist, this masked sleuth is proving that the Gotham vigilante can inspire heroism as well as villainy.

They call him the Petaluma Batman, because his true identity is unknown, even carefully protected by the people of Petaluma, California. Even when ABC news covered his story they wrote “We do know his true identity, but we’ve agreed to keep it confidential for his and his family’s safety.”

Petaluma Batman is a true caped crusader, as you can see in his photo, and he patrols the streets of his hometown. His motto, “a hero can be anyone.” I can certainly get behind that.

Although he doesn’t engage in physical confrontations, unless they are choreographed, as in this battle with his arch nemesis, Petaluma Joker:

If he ever sees anything suspicious he calls police. He doesn’t take just into his own hands, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t performing a public service. He told ABC, “You know, if I do see something, I’ll call the cops and make sure everything’s going smoothly.” If he sticks around after the cops show up he may inadvertently be serving as a kind of impromptu Cop Watch. His mere presence probably puts cops on their best behavior because if anything did go down, it would probably end up on the evening news.

His Facebook page boasts over 6,000 likes and catalogs his activities, whether it’s helping the elderly in his community, hosting contests to raise money for charity, or raising awareness about Alyssa Byrne, a Petaluman woman who went missing near Lake Tahoe. She was a classmate of his at Casa Grande High School.

When asked how long he intended to keep patrolling the streets, Petaluma Batman replied, “Until I wake up and I say to myself, ‘You know, Petaluma Batman isn’t fun anymore.’ As long as I can have a positive influence on people and nothing bad happens.”

In grade school Davi refused to recite the pledge of allegiance because he didn't understand what it meant. He was ordered to do as he was told. In college he spent hours scouring through the congressional record trying to understand this strange machine. That's where he discovered Dr. Ron Paul. In 2007 he joined the End The Fed movement and found a political home with the libertarians. The Declaration of Independence claims that the government derives its power “from the consent of the governed." He does not consent.